


Unexpected Outbursts

by Kamary



Series: The Jersey Devil [12]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic Lessons, Multi, Other, Years Later, polymory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 15:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5296715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamary/pseuds/Kamary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can still remember the look on their face when you announced that the next part of Chara’s training was to play Dungeons and Dragons with you. You don’t think you have laughed that hard in ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Outbursts

**Author's Note:**

> Just one more between this one and the finale. Or maybe two, if I feel that is needed, but probably just one. I wonder if anyone can guess what the finale will be.

No one appreciated exactly how hard this was. How exact do you teach magic to a person? You’d say how do you teach magic to a monster, but that wouldn’t be accurate now. You were teaching Chara and Chara alone.

Magic was innate in all monsters. Most cast their first bit of it alongside their first breath. It was often a formless, powerless thing, but it was magic. Monsters were born knowing magic. You could teach them spells and control, but you could not teach a monsters how to use magic in general. It had never been done. That was what made this so difficult.

You had to teach Chara to cast magic before you taught them how to use spells. But, every attempt just ended in frustration. They had given up on it years ago, back when you were both still teenagers. You thought that would be the last of it, but no. Chara decided recently to start trying again a few weeks back, just before Frisk had their break down.

“I can do it,” they had stubbornly told you. “You said I should be able to, so I will. Now just shut up and teach me how to do it!”

You considered asking your mom to teach them instead, but knew that would not work. Toriel had no more experience in this want you did. That being said, you didn’t have as much teaching experience in anything as her, but Chara was your responsibility. When you brought them home, you took responsibility over them. This had always been your policy.

This was not something you could do easily, though. You sighed. Chara was an awful student. The second worst that you had ever had. They couldn’t stay calm, constantly questioned your methods, and gave up on your lessons half way through. They had respect for you, yes, but they were also your equal. That meant that they were more than willing to question you ever step of the way.

You gave another sigh, which you’d been doing a lot of lately. You would love to be able to teach them. The joy you could imagine on their face… But that wasn’t possible, it seemed. Oh, you had tried, but all you had managed to do was piss them off.

“The root of the problem,” Frisk had told you once when you were asking them for advice. “Is that fact that Chara doesn’t have the mental flexibility for this. Chara, for whatever reason, had a very strict upbringing before meeting you and our parents.  They didn’t get to flex their imagination. Even though they should now be able to do all these amazing things, they won’t because they don’t think that they can.”

You’d been mauling over this for a few days. So the problem was Chara’s creativity. That was a real problem. You would probably spend years breaking that down, but Chara wanted to learn now. You would have to go for the fast route.

Some of the first things that you tried were meditation, but you soon discovered that was a bust. You would just end up falling asleep and Chara, who was even worse about this than you, would just leave. They would hear you snoring and decide the lesson wasn’t worth it and go. It was frustrating to no extent.

Eventually, you’d come to the conclusion that story writing was the best possible way to teach Chara to cast magic. Chara really liked writing stories. They would fill their time with it. However, when you read them, they were more like autobiographies or your life together than anything else. They never wandered into the realm of fantasy, so you basically gave up.

But then you had an idea. With Frisk off work for a while, you decided to throw together a little game. You printed out the pages and bought the books. You can still remember the look on their face when you announced that the next part of Chara’s training was to play Dungeons and Dragons with you. You don’t think you have laughed that hard in ages.

It was a good plan, you told yourself. It was a game that required quick thinking. You could stay close to the rules if you wanted to, but it was also the type of game where you had to think of a creative solution. Nobody appreciated how creative you were. (On later thought you would realize you created this plan out of desperation. You wanted to force Chara to be creative.)

That aside, you were nervous about all of this. This was the first time that you would ever play, and now you were a dungeon master. You all played with your OCs, the ones you’d made them when you were children. With some adjustments, you’d retooled them and then transferred them into this setting. You, of course, had the Absolute God of Hyper Death who was a level one wizard because this was your first session. Frisk had Bleatatron, the Goat Lord, who you are pretty sure was made to mock you. They played a druid because it meant they could have a goat companion. Chara had… Chara. Chara was literally just playing as themselves. They decided to be a rogue because they could steal from people and stab them with knives.

You were starting to think that this game was sort of stacked against you all. Most games suggested you had at least one martial character, and you guys were pretty squishy as a team. In the end, Chara ended up doing most of the combat. But combat was all that they did, they just moved forward on what they thought to be the predetermined path. But, when you reached an area where the focus was not fighting, you turned to Chara.

“As the three of your enter a village,” you began. “You hear the sound of someone screaming. What do you do?”

Frisk goes to speak, but gets the idea you want Chara to be the one that answers instead. Chara, however, doesn’t seem to want to. But, waiting long enough finally gets them to speak up.

“I leave.” They give you an unamused look.

“As you attempt to leave, a woman comes running out and grabs your arm. ‘Oh, strange traveller, please help us! There-“

Chara cuts you off. “I punch her in the face.”

Frisk begins to snicker, but you just give Chara the disapproving look that you learned from your mom.  Unfortunately, as effective as hers is, Chara just scoffs at yours and gives you a look that states they are perfectly happy with their actions. Of course they are.

“You punch the lady in the face and run away. A dragon flies down and eats you. Game over.” Of course, this is against the rules, but you are frustrated. Chara doesn’t even seem to want to try.

“What? That’s what I’d do. I thought that this… Thing was all about making me be creative or whatever. Well, I came with a creative solution to the problem, leave!” Chara didn’t seem all that proud of themself, just annoyed. You guessed they really didn’t like this game. You guessed it wasn’t a good idea to begin with.

“No, you were just being you.” You huff. “Can’t you try, for once, to be a little flexible?”

Chara frowns. “Are you telling me that you don’t like me anymore? What happened to ‘you’re perfect how you are, demon or not’?”

You can tell by the flushing of their cheeks that they’re angry. You didn’t mean for that to happen. “You are perfect. I’m just trying to help you expand yourself mentally. If you can’t think flexibly, you wouldn’t be able to use magic. Magic is-“

“The element of freedom, it means you have to think freely. I’ve been studying magic for years, Asriel. Of course I know how it works. I know that I can’t use magic because I am too inflexible. And I get why. And you don’t!” Their eyes went from you to Frisk. “Maybe they get it, a little, but you, Asriel, never can. You don’t know how it feels to constantly have people try to change you. I am Chara, I chose to stay Chara, not somebody else that other people want me to be.”

You could almost feel the sweltering rage coming off of them. They went to speak, but found you couldn’t. It was a good thing that you weren’t there alone.

“We aren’t asking you to change. You’ll always be Chara. You need to core yourself into something. But, what we do what is for you to feel comfortable enough that you don’t force yourself to be stagnant. I can see it in you. You do want to change, but you don’t. You don’t change because you think that if you do, you’ll be betraying all you worked for until this point.

“I know how hard it can be to go back on everything you worked for until this point. Even if you don’t see it as a good thing anymore, you still go forward with it because there’s nothing else that you can do. I get that, trust me. I’m like the monarch of determination.” Frisk gave Chara a nervous smile. “What we’re trying to do isn’t to make you more creative, it’s about making you feel comfortable.”

Chara was silent for a moment. They pulled their legs to their chest and sighed. “I’m comfortable here, I am. The one I’m not comfortable with is me. I guess, as long as I do on like this, I’ll never be able to use magic, huh?”

“You don’t have to be afraid of changing,” you said, only to regret it immediately. Maybe it was only okay for Frisk to say that, since they sort of understood.

“I get that, but I am. I’m stupid like that.” They shake their head. “But… I’ll try. Chara the Character turns around and goes to the lady to apologize. Unlike Chara the person, they aren’t a huge jerk.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just retcon that?” you ask nervously.

They shake their head. “You can’t retcon life- Frisk you put that finger down, you are not suggesting what I think you are suggesting. Let’s… Let’s just keep going, okay? I am going to try.”

You sigh. “Actually, why don’t we stop for now? I’m actually, not sure how to deal with this. I’m a pretty terrible DM.”

Chara gives a little huff. You moved over to their side and sling an arm for their shoulder. “Hey, Char, don’t worry about it. I’m really proud of you for trying. I know this is hard for you. I know I can’t get all of it, but I understand that there are things you can’t do. I know that you’ll learn magic eventually. Maybe not in the next few years, but eventually.”

You placed a kiss on their forehead. They give a small grumble. This was probably a dumb idea to begin with. It could have been fun, but you shouldn’t expect every one of your idea to work. Frisk soon finds themself at their other side. They wrap their arms around Chara’s waist and kiss their cheek.

“You two are too good to me,” Chara sighed out.

“Nah.” You and Frisk answer at the same time, but only you continue. “We’re just enough for you. You deserve a lot. You might be a cranky fusspot, but you’re my cranky fusspot.”

Frisk nodded next to them. “I’d be more than happy to spend my entire life complimenting you, Chara. Besides, you’d do the same for me, albeit, in a lot more of a tsundere way.”

Their cheeks flushed at that and they looked away. “I’m not a tsundere. But lately, you two have been even more cuddly than normal. I guess, maybe we’re really falling into this cycle properly. I was going to do it after I learned how to use magic. I had this whole romantic surprise planned out, but I don’t want to have to wait years. Now just… Feels right.”

You give a small hum. “Feels right for what?”

Chara grows a little red and looks at the ground. For some reason, you get the feeling that they are going to say something really important. Frisk tightens their grip. You have the feeling Frisk knows what they are going to say before they do.

“Will you guys… Marry me?”

You almost fall out of your seat. “Wait, what?”

Frisk shushes you. “That’s not a no, calm down. Besides, you already have my answer.” They then look to you. “I accidentally asked them to marry me already.”

You look somewhat dismayed. “When?”

Chara waggles their eyebrows at you in such a way that you automatically know the answer. You sigh at the two of them. “Really? That’s really…? Fine, whatever. Little annoyed you asked them without me, I mean come on, we’re a trio, but I am fine with this. This is okay.”

You take in a big breath. “Of course I’d love to marry you both. I mean, this is a weird time to ask, but of course.”

Chara flushes even more, to a shade you had once thought impossible. You can count on your hands the number of times that they had gotten this colour.

“I kinda…. Expected a bigger answer.” They looked back and forth to the two of you. “But, I guess this is probably the worst proposal of all time, so I am going to take what I can get.”

You plop your head on their shoulder, careful not to hit them with your horns. “Hey, in your defense, we’ve been asking like we’re married for a long time. And to be honest… I like it like this… It’s really domestic and casual. It fits us. It’s kind of like when we first started dating.”

Frisk giggled at the memory. “Everyone thought we’d been dating for years, but nobody brought it up because they all thought that it was some kind of secret. Oh, but they didn’t want to tell us that.”

Chara huffed once again, a sound you are far too used to from them. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. …But still, mom’s gonna kill us when we tell her our actual engagement story.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Definitely.”


End file.
